Mistakes
by Insanity Is Contagious
Summary: After the surprising on stage kiss, Quinn and Jesse are left heartbroken after what they had seen. But when Finn and Rachel find out the two are dating, will they regret the sudden reconciliation? St. Fabray & Finchel starter, St. Berry & Fuinn ending.
1. Explanation

Feeling the soft touch of Jesse's hands on her shoulders, Quinn closed her eyes and let just the slightest smile cross her face. She of course was still heartbroken from last year's Nationals, but it was nice to have someone to fall back on. Granted, she never thought she would end up in a relationship with Jesse St. James of all people, but somehow she did and he wasn't as bad as everyone called him out to be. Jesse's fingers slipped from her shoulders as one hand moved to place on her cheek, the other wrapping around her waist as the two sat on her bed. A small smile formed on his lips just before he pressed his to hers. Quinn could still see the pain in his eyes from having Rachel break his heart, but Quinn could only sympathize, having felt the same. It was sort of like being in a relationship with Finn in the matter that Jesse still loved Rachel and she knew it. But it was different in the way that Jesse never strayed from showing affection toward Quinn and it was relevant just how much he had grown to care for her.

Looking up into Jesse's eyes as their lips pulled apart from each other, Quinn let out a sad sigh. "You're not going back, are you? To California?"

The school season was just starting up again and Quinn didn't know if she could handle seeing Finn and Rachel together without the comfort of Jesse nearby.

A slight chuckle came from his lips and he shook his head ever so lightly, "No. There's nothing in California for me. Yes, I will leave for New York someday, but in the meantime I'm here. For you," he insisted.

It was obvious how strange it was for Jesse to say those words for anybody but Rachel, but in a way he knew he meant it. They both needed each other.

* * *

><p>"<em>Mind if I take this seat?" a voice chimed in, sweet and soft, yet the voice of one person that Quinn had no desire of seeing.<em>

"_Why?" she asked lightly, turning around to face Jesse through the night sky. _

_The red benches were lit with the glowing red that illuminated the rush of people as they passed by. Either in a rush to get home or no rush at all. Just wanting to sit and view Times Square as it glimmered in the night._

_Jesse didn't speak, he simply took a spot next to her. The second she felt his body next to his, Quinn turned to face him. He was staring off at the sight before them. The bright red flooring made it hard for Quinn to tell whether or not he had been crying or if his eyes were red due to reflection. _

"_Times Square is truly magnificent, isn't it? I only wish my trip here had been better than it turned out to be," Jesse spoke out, still not facing Quinn but the big glowing ball._

_The sound of his voice, so light and weak, made it obvious to Quinn that the red of his eyes weren't from reflection. She never understood how much Jesse loved Rachel, or how he could for that matter. Of course, no one understood how much Quinn could love Finn. It was now that Quinn saw the pure hurt and pain that ignited through him. He was as heartbroken as she was by the onstage kiss of their exes. _

"_I'm sorry," Quinn said lightly, watching Jesse as he didn't bother to move the slightest. She knew she didn't have to go on, it was painfully obvious what she was apologizing for._

_That was the moment that Jesse couldn't help but turn and look at her. His eyes met with hers, the single tear on his right cheek, the one that Quinn couldn't see until now, glimmered against the red lights. _

"_Me too," he choked back. His comment both agreeing with hers and apologizing for her heartbreak with Finn. _

_They didn't say anything more, instead both turned to face the bright New York City lights. Hoping that the fresh air and movement around them would try and cure something that felt impossible to heal. The company, the understanding, however, did feel nice._

* * *

><p>"Are you sure you want to do this? You could just as easily flunk out like I did. Granted, mine was a simple misfortune. Yours could feel good," Jesse asked, turning to face Quinn as they sat in the parking lot of McKinley High.<p>

Glancing from the window to Jesse's face, she smiled lightly as she saw how worried he was. It was nice to know that _someone _actually worried about her. That someone didn't want to see her hurt all over again. That thought was what gave Quinn the strength to nod happily.

"I'll be fine. Meet me for lunch?" she asked, placing a kiss on his cheek before hoping out of his Range Rover without even giving him the chance to answer. They always had lunch together, nothing would make today of all days different.

It was the first day of senior year. The first day that Quinn walked into McKinley feeling happy since she and Finn were together the previous year. She didn't even bother to second glance the love gawking couple that caused so much pain to both Quinn and Jesse as they kissed in the hallway. Finn and Rachel wouldn't touch Quinn's radar this year. She had Jesse by her side and that was all she needed to get through another year of having to watch the two be disgustingly loveable.

Lunch came quicker than expected and Quinn hurriedly made her way out to Jesse's car. He had food in take-out bags waiting for her on the hood of the car, sitting next to her boyfriend as he watched her walk over with grace. A smile crossed his lips as Quinn quickly placed her lips to his before moving to look inside the bags.

Quinn jumped on the hood of the car, looking up at him happily as he pulled out some boxes. "My favourite," she said delightedly.

"Of course. I understand how tough this day must be for you. Therefore I decided to give you the most wonderful lunch to get you through the day."

"You know," Quinn said, leaning towards Jesse ever so slightly, "It wasn't as bad as I thought it would be. Whenever I saw Finn with Rachel, I thought about meeting you for lunch and felt better," she smiled at him.

"I have a surprise for you," Jesse said, letting his smile crack through as he saw the curiosity form over her face. "You'll have to wait until this evening however," he teased.

* * *

><p>Quinn rolled her eyes as she watch Finn and Rachel read off of each other's sheet music during Glee practice. She did wish that Jesse was still in High School, but knew that she would simply have to deal with the thought of him to get over Finn. Most people would think she was absolutely crazy to still be in love with Finn or to be dating Jesse. Nobody truly understood how much Finn meant to her or how sweet Jesse was when it came to her emotional fits. She hadn't had one in forever, which was relaxing to realize, but that didn't mean that the pain vanished over the summer. She honestly thought that she had won at one point, only to lose yet again.<p>

"Alright, I have a special announcement before we get started," Mr. Schuester said as he walked into the room. "I know we didn't win Nationals last year, but it doesn't mean we can't win this year. I think I've found the perfect way to make sure that we make it again."

Will turned toward the door just as Jesse entered, a stack of papers pressed against his chest. The entire club was silent and as Quinn stared at Jesse for a moment, she knew that this was the surprise he had been talking about.

"Now, before you say anything, I really think that we need Jesse's help. As badly as it was delievered last year, he gave us some good advice. So I'm thinking if we start now, we won't be so pressured when shows come up. Right Jesse?" Schuester asked as he turned to face the boy.

"Exactly," Jesse smiled, looking from Will to Quinn. "New Directions has the potiental to win all competitions, but only if you undergo some changes and actually follow through. For starters, no more Finn and Rachel duets."

Everyone turned to face the couple as Rachel watched Jesse in shock. Finn was obvious growing furious already. "Mr. Schue, are you seriously going to do this again? I mean, Rachel and I always sing duets!"

"And you always lose," Jesse promptly pointed out.

"But, I-I get to sing solos, right?" Rachel asked, pointing to herself as Finn turned to look at her in shock that she so easily gave up a duet with him.

"Actually, no. I was thinking we should stretch the talents of some of the other members. I've heard almost everyone in here sing a solo and everyone has a remarkable voice. However, it's always covered up by you, Rachel. Yes, you have a fantastic voice but I think you should put it to rest for a while. Give someone else a chance to sing. Like Quinn for example," Jesse looked at the blonde and nodded. "Quinn, you'd surely like some solos, wouldn't you?"

Quinn nodded as she watched Jesse, still slightly shocked at his appearance in the school.

Rachel's face twisted in confusion as she slowly moved her hand to point to where Quinn was sitting. "Q-Quinn? You want…. Quinnto sing _my _solos?"

Jesse laughed slightly and looked down at his feet, unable to watch her in determination, a quality that he loved about her. "They're hardly your solos, are they? Not anymore at least."

"This is stupid!" Finn yelled, leaning back in his chair. Rachel still staring at Jesse with shock. He had always been the one to understand her talent and determination. Why was he turning on her now? Because of last year? That was highly unprofessional, she thought.

From the corner of her eye, Rachel could see Santana staring at something with pure concentration. As Rachel followed her eyes, they led to Jesse then Quinn. The two were staring at each other with smiles on their faces and suddenly it had hit Rachel.

* * *

><p>"You're dating Quinn?" Rachel shrieked in the empty auditorium, pacing around the piano that Jesse sat at.<p>

"Yes. Does it matter?" he asked, looking from the keys to her.

"Why? She's… she's…"

"A decent person who deserves to be loved? Someone who got her heart broken on a trip that was supposed to be one of the happiest of her Glee club memories?" Jesse asked, standing to watch the pacing girl.

"She's Quinn!"

Jesse's brows furrowed in confusion as he listened to Rachel scream. It was a good thing it was after school hours, or else someone would've heard.

Rachel paused; crossing her arms as she noticed Jesse's taken aback stare.

"I thought…. _I _was the reason you came back to Ohio," Rachel asked, her voice getting soft.

Jesse swallowed hard before answering, "You were the reason I came back. Quinn is the reason I'm staying."

"But why? She hates you! You hate her!"

"I never said I hated her, Rachel. I simply never noticed her because I was too busy giving you my attention. My heart."

Rachel looked down, not able to stare at Jesse any longer. Having him around would just make it more difficult on her. She hated the way that he always stuck by her even when she was chasing after Finn. She hated that he had to see them kissing on stage. She hated how much she screwed up.

"Rachel," Jesse said, making his way out from behind the piano. As he stood only inches from her, he placed his hand under her chin to lift her eyes up and look in this. "Quinn needs me. Do you know how hard it is for her to walk into this school and see Finn with someone else? You for the matter? Do you know how upset and heartbroken she was when she saw you two kiss on stage? She told me I make her feel better and honestly, she makes me feel better too. I had to witness losing you and everyone else witnessed it too."

Dropping his hand from under her chin, Jesse took a step back and let out a heavy sigh. "I let you go. I let you have what you have always wanted when with me and that was Finn. You shouldn't be worrying about my relationship with Quinn. We're simply a broken record trying to mend each other's pieces."

Jesse took a step back and turned around, leaving the auditorium at the quickest of all paces. Rachel was left standing in the auditorium, a small tear falling down her cheek. She didn't understand why seeing Jesse still in Lima had hurt so much, how his relationship with Quinn made her so upset. Most of all, she didn't understand why Finn had slipped her mind completely. She had to take a moment to try and remember that she wasn't dating the man that walked out of the auditorium. She was dating Finn. Why couldn't she remember that for the few brief seconds when Jesse was around? All that she noticed in Jesse's presence… was Jesse.

* * *

><p>"Why the <em>hell <em>are you dating Jesse St. Jerk?" Finn yelled as he rampaged over to Quinn's locker the next day, not minding the people staring at them in the hallway.

"Because, Finn," Quinn slammed her locker before turning to face him, "_You _broke up with me! _You _kissed Rachel on stage. I'm allowed to have some happiness and believe it or not, Jesse makes me feel better. Maybe if you weren't so obsessed with your precious duets with Rachel, you'd be able to see that he's actually a nice guy and I've been _smiling_ this whole time! Oh wait, I'm sorry, I forgot you only pray on the needy and depressed."

Quinn turned around quick enough to only see a few seconds of confusion wash over Finn's face.

"What's the supposed to mean?" he asked as he followed after her down the hallway.

"Never mind. Forget I said anything," Quinn turned into the empty choir room, figuring that Finn would follow after her and the only way she would be having this fight was in private. Away from the people staring in the hallway. She didn't turn around to face Finn as she heard him enter the room like she guessed.

Finn stopped as he saw Quinn bent over the piano, her breathing was off and he was curious as to what she was doing. Shaking his head lightly, Finn looked down, "But what about _him_ makes you happy? I mean, why Jesse?"

"Because he understands."

"Understands? Understands what?"

"What it's like to be heartbroken!" Quinn screamed, turning around to face Finn. Tears were rushing down her face, her makeup was smeared and it was then that Finn realized she had been crying over the piano.

He watched her for a second, noticing she was trying to catch a breath between sobs.

"He doesn't think of me as a heartless cheerleader bitch."

"What? I-I never sa-"

"'Don't you ever feel anything?' Remember? Remember when you broke up with me after a _funeral _and said that to me? I haven't been happy since the day that I thought I won you. All throughout Nationals, I was depressed because you broke up with me for _Rachel_! Then when you kissed on stage, I was so close to transferring schools. To maybe staying in New York, but it was Jesse that brought me back. He made me feel like losing you wasn't the end of the world, because I'll tell you it sure as hell felt like it…" Quinn pushed passed Finn and stormed out of the room, wiping the tears as she left.

Finn went after her, only to stop in the doorway as he watched her go into the girls' bathroom. Everyone in the hallway was looking at Finn as he stared at the bathroom door. His head lowered slightly when it came to him just how much pain he had caused her. How badly he treated her. The worst part was how upset he was over her crying. Why did he want to run into the bathroom and wrap his arms around her and comfort her until she felt better?

He noticed Rachel start to walk towards him as he stood in the doorway. Her head was lowered slightly too, but Finn didn't even look at her. His eyes were fixated on the bathroom door.

"Hey," she said, her voice weak and light.

"Hey."


	2. Realization  Finn&Quinn

**Author's notes; Okay, so I thought this would be in three parts, but it ended up taking so long to try and find a good way to redeem Finn properly, that I ran out of time for the St. Berry scene. I will write and post that soon. As of now, this is the Fuinn scene. Yes, I did add random Fuinn sex because there isn't enough of it and I thought the angst-y scene could use some.**

Finn wandered into the choir room like Rachel had asked him, guilt all over his face. He knew that Rachel was here to talk to him about something important, like she said in her text, but he knew at that moment that he had to admit to what he did. He wasn't going to keep secrets with her anymore and he knew what he wanted now.

Rachel's head lifted as Finn entered the room, not even the slightest smile crossing her lips before she stood to try and match at least half of his height.

"Finn…" she said sadly, watching him as he seemed to be unable to look her in the eyes.

"I have to confess something," Finn said, moving to sit down next to where Rachel was standing.

"Me too," Rachel said, sitting down again.

The two of them stared off into the choir room, not looking at each other for a few good moments.

"I'm still in love with Jesse."

"I had sex with Quinn."

The room stayed dead silent, but Rachel's facial expression was that of confused. Somewhere inside, Rachel knew that Finn still cared about Quinn, but she never thought he would _cheat. _After all that happened with cheating in the past, she thought they were over that. She turned to face him for a second, her shocked and confused stare turning into one of slight anger.

Finn lifted his head and looked at her for a second before closing his eyes, "I'm sorry. It… it just happened."

"_What do want?" Quinn asked sharply, turning around with anger glowing in her eyes. Finn was the last person that she wanted to see, especially alone._

"_To say I'm sorry," Finn said, pushing his hands in his pockets as he walked across the empty gym to the where she stood._

_The second Finn got closer, Quinn turned around again and walked over to the bleachers as she took a seat somewhere near the top. Hoping Finn would stay where he was._

"_I didn't call you a heartless bitch," Finn said, looking up at her. "I mean, I didn't think I did. I didn't mean it like that."_

_Quinn placed her elbows on her legs and leaned forward, placing a hand on her cheek as she watched Finn. Not bothering to say a word. _

_Finn watched her for a second, realizing that he was nowhere near being forgiven. He walked up a few of the bleachers and sat at the bottom, still looking at her but staying a clear distance._

"_Are you going to say anything or-"_

"_Why can't you just leave it alone?" Quinn asked, her voice still silent and soft. _

"_Because, I don't want you to think that I actually think you're heartless. Like I hate you or something."_

_Quinn shook her head lightly, lowering her head to look away from him. "It's always about everyone seeing you as a good guy, isn't it? You couldn't just apologize because you wanted me to feel better."_

_Finn stared at her for a second, completely shocked by her comment. Quinn laughed a little, knowing that he had no real reason to be here and neither did she. Standing up, Quinn walked off the bleachers and started for the gym door._

"_Quinn, wait," Finn said, standing up to chase after her._

"_I'm done waiting for you, Finn."_

_As soon as he had reached her, he placed a hand on her shoulder and spun her around to face him, "But I sti-"_

"_Still care about me? Still love me?" Quinn's eyes were starting to tear up a bit. She wiped the tears away, tired of crying over him. "It's the same old thing, Finn. Whenever you start dating someone, you start swinging for the other girl. Did you actually ever love me?"_

"_Yes. I did. I loved you. More than I thought I did. I'm not sorry about the whole 'heartless bitch' thing, I mean I am, but I'm more sorry about what I did to you. I used you to try and get over Rachel and then I just messed everything up."_

"_Yeah, you really got over her."_

"_I'm sorry."_

"_Stop saying that."_

"_No. I can't. I _am_ sorry. I shouldn't have used you. It just made everything worse."_

"_Finn, just stop!" Quinn's voice started to rise again. _

_The echo went through the empty gym and at that second, Finn finally stopped apologizing. He did one swift movement that placed his lips to hers. He felt her hands on his chest, trying to push him away, yet he felt her kiss back. Within a few seconds, her hands stopped pushing his chest and wrapped around his back. Before he knew it, she had pulled them into the girl's locker room which was thankfully empty._

_Finn pushed her up against one of the lockers and moved his lips to kiss her neck, feeling her hand lightly move over his zipper only to stop just as quickly. _

"_Finn, I-I can't do this." Her hands placed on his shoulders to push him back, Finn's head raising to look into her eyes. "I can't cheat on Jesse."_

_Finn moved back for a second, looking slightly off. He hadn't even thought about it as cheating. Nor had he thought about how Rachel would feel. _

"_Do you love him?" Finn asked, turning to look at Quinn._

_Quinn wasn't sure of how to answer. She knew she cared about Jesse a lot, but did she love him? Maybe? But, it didn't feel like it. Not like it did with Finn. She knew then that she didn't love him. She loved Finn and she always would. With that, she placed her lips to Finn's again. Jesse would understand, he most likely would've done the same with Rachel. The temptation to be in Finn's arms was too strong. She had to keep kissing him. She had to let this happen. Her body wanted him and he was about to give it to her._

_Finn's fingers traced over her skin lightly as Quinn's hand moved back to Finn's zipper. It seemed like only seconds later, his pants had dropped and her shirt was open, his hands caressing her breasts as their lips moved fiercely against each others. Letting his fingers trail over one of her nipples and down her stomach, Quinn had felt a tingly sensation just at Finn's touch. It felt so good to be pressed up against him, even if someone were to walk in, she wasn't sure if she could stop. Her hand moved down into Finn's boxers, rubbing him as she felt him start to get hard. She knew that they wouldn't have too much time, but Quinn wanted him inside of her. Him taking control was so hot to her, plus the sparks she felt whenever their bodies touched._

_Finn was feeling the same thing too. He couldn't deny how amazing it felt for his skin to lightly brush over hers. As soon as he felt Quinn's hand in his pants, his eyes rolled back slightly before deepening the kiss. It only took a few more brushes of Finn's tongue to make Quinn unable to handle much more. Her hand moved out of his boxers just enough to pull them down, pulling away from Finn's lips as he moved them to her neck yet again. _

_As Finn continued to play with her breasts, Quinn moaned lightly which sent a wave of shivers through Finn's body. Her movement to remove his boxers had given him just enough to believe that she wanted this as badly as he did and within seconds he let one of his fingers tuck into her waist band, pushing her pants down completely so he could slip inside of her._

_A loud moan came from Quinn's lips as she felt Finn's hardness inside of her. It was a feeling she had felt before, but her time with Puck felt nothing like this. Nor did Finn's time with Santana. It was so much more desired. So much more intense and the sparks were insane. Quinn's head fell back against the locker as she felt Finn thrust in and out of her, his hips grinding against hers. Finn's fingers were lightly moving down her bare stomach as Quinn wrapped her arms around Finn, digging her nails into his football jacket which had stayed on in their rushed attempts to feel each other._

_More moans coming from Quinn's lips, which made Finn moan a little too. Finn tried to continue kissing her neck, but always ended up moaning against her skin between heavy breaths. As Finn thrust harder, Quinn's body banged against the locker behind her, more her movements of enjoyment than anything else. Her back arched and she knew that she was about to climax already. Her eyes rolling in the back of her head the second she felt Finn cum inside of her. His moan of enjoyment had sent another shiver down her body and she too came, lightly biting his shoulder as she did. _

_Their bodies stopped moving completely once they had both finished, Finn pulling back to look into her eyes. They both knew they had just cheated, even more than kissing too. For some reason it felt good to have each other in their presence, but at what cost? Were they fixable? Finn could easily choose Rachel over her again and she might lose Jesse too. They both knew how risky their move was, but was it worth it? It felt good, but it shouldn't have._

"_Quinn, wait! Where are you going?" Finn ran after her, out of the locker room and into the gym. She had put her clothes on and ran off, leaving Finn to have to quickly dress and catch up with her._

"_What did you mean by 'It just made everything worse'?" Quinn asked, quickly turning around to face Finn in anger at herself. Why had she let herself do this? She had no way of believing that Finn wasn't just using her. She cheated on Jesse for the guy that kept on breaking her heart and she was already beating herself up. But that one phrase, the one sentence that she had so easily tossed to the side before their moment of passion, had stuck in her mind the entire time with Finn and somewhere in that sentence, she hoped for the slightest thing that could make her act with Finn a little better._

_Finn stopped suddenly and watched her, trying to remember what she was referring to. It didn't take long for him to remember and he lowered his head slightly, "Why does that matter?"_

"_Please," Quinn said, her voice lowered._

_Finn stared at Quinn for a few seconds before finally answering, "I thought you would be safe territory or something like that. I felt like I was totally over you and then when Rachel cheated on me, you would be a perfect person to help me get over it. I sorta thought you were unbreakable. I was wrong. You're completely breakable and the worst part is, I was the one who broke you. But the thing was, I felt like there was no turning back. Rachel was always going to be there and I care about her and all, but after hearing what you told me in the choir room last week and watching you run out, I felt like your feelings were more important than Rachel's."_

_Throwing his hands in the air, Finn walked past Quinn, "Which is stupid! I'm dating Rachel. She should be the one I'm worried about, right?" He stopped walking and turned around to face Quinn yet again, "But she isn't. And that sucks, because I broke you for nothing. For…" Finn raised his arms a little as he tried to come up with the best word for his relationship with Rachel, "…a mistake."_

_Quinn watched Finn for a second, still unable to trust anything he was saying. "So you're saying that getting back with Rachel was a mistake?"_

"_I'm saying that it sure as hell feels like one. I mean, I guess after that whole you cheating on me with Sam scare, I sorta freaked out."_

"_What? You were afraid that I would cheat on you again? Why would I do that?"_

"_You've done it before. And when you first cheated on me, it was a lot worse."_

_Staring at him for a second, she couldn't believe how he had suddenly turned it around to be about him. However, she did understand what he meant. They never really did talk about what happened junior year. He had just as much right as she did to be afraid of cheating. He was afraid of her cheating on him with Sam and she was afraid of him cheating on her with Rachel._

"_Okay. Let's talk. _Really_ talk," Quinn lightly said as she moved to go sit back on the first row of bleachers._

_Finn didn't say anything, but walked over to where she sat, sitting next to her._

"_When I said that it should've been you, I wasn't lying. I mean, the only reason I was with Sam to begin with was because I was tired of watching you and Rachel be perfect. I just wanted someone to love me. I'm sorry that I lied to you; I just wanted the father to be you. I tried to put the thought of it in my mind by ignoring Puck which so didn't work. You were the one that led me to cheat the second time. I never would've if it were anyone but you. And it wasn't all my fault. I worried about you cheating on me with Rachel everyday that we were together. The first and second time. Guess that was half the reason I got drunk with Puck."_

"_I wouldn't cheat on you. I've been cheated on twice and I had to watch what happened with Sam after we kissed. And Rachel, she would've never done that type of thing, but did anyway. Just to make me jealous. I thought that when I was dating her, I wouldn't have to worry about that sorta thing."_

"_Okay, so obviously, what we had was trust issues. Good to know it wasn't me being heartless," Quinn spoke under her breath. It was quiet enough for no one to hear, except for Finn._

"_Quinn, would you stop? I didn't mean it like that! You're not heartless. I was just trying to find a real reason for me breaking up with you," as Finn admitted that fact, he looked away and placed his hands on his knees as if he were about to pounce in the air and run out of the room._

"_Real reason? Wasn't a tether reason enough?"_

"_No, I mean kinda, but I wasn't nessicarily feeling a tether. More like, I should've been feeling one."_

_Finn didn't even have to look back at Quinn to know she had raised her eyebrow in curiosity. It confused him even, it would surely confuse her._

"_So you know how, whenever we seemed to be in a good place, Rachel would always pop up and we would start to like… fade or something?"_

_A silent nod._

"_It wasn't because I still had feelings for Rachel, but more like she made me think I did. Every time I was feeling bad, she would try to cheer me up. Granted it was always by singing, but that wasn't the only thing either. Like, she would always tell me that we were meant to be because nobody understands me like she does and nobody accepts me like she does. I kinda felt like I was supposed to be with her because that's what she always said and she usually gets her way."_

"_So… you thought you were in love with her because… she's a stalker?"_

"_Sorta, but less… creepy sounding."_

_Finn could hear Quinn start to laugh a little, under her breath and controlled, but most certainly laughing._

"_All I know, is that when I kiss her… it doesn't feel right. I mean… I felt something at Nationals, but that was probably adrenaline. Whenever I kiss her now, it's weird; like I'm kissing my sister or something!"_

_Quinn's laughing got louder and Finn turned to look at her, "It's not funny! I can't date my sister! I don't even have a sister!"_

_Finn's attempts to stop Quinn from laughing did no good. She hadn't laughed so much in a while now, it was actually starting to make her tear up. Once he had seen how hard she was laughing, he turned to face away, a giant smile on his face. _

"_It's not funny," he mumbled, hoping she couldn't see how hard he was trying not to laugh with her. The suddenly angst filled and teary eyed moment had become hilarious and Quinn's tear were that of laughing too hard._

_After a few seconds, Quinn's laughter died down and the gym had suddenly fallen silent again._

"_You really wanted me to be the father?" Finn asked, breaking the silence._

"_Of course. Why else would I lie to you like that? It wasn't to be a bitch or anything."_

_Finn looked back at Quinn yet again, moving his hand to rest on her cheek. "I'm sorry about how we broke up. Both times. I do love you, Quinn. I just messed up again. I let Rachel's ideas get to me."_

"_You mean did?"_

"_What?"_

"_You mean did love me, not do. Right?"_

_It was only then that Finn had realized what he said. It had slipped out without him even knowing. His hand dropped from her cheek and he turned to face away from her, closing his eyes tightly. It took him a few seconds to come back from the sudden shock, finally aware of what he meant by it._

"_Finn?" Quinn said, slightly concerned by his silence._

"_No. I mean do."_


	3. Realization Jesse&Rachel

"I can't believe you cheated on me," Rachel said, not looking at Finn but instead staring at the ground. Her voice was light and soft, the hurt in her tone was almost impossible to miss.

"Rachel, I'm sorry. I-I didn't mean for it happen… i-it's just… I dunno. I just haven't been feeling us lately and when I saw Quinn again, I felt that… spark, you know?"

Rachel closed her eyes for a few seconds before nodding her head. She turned to face Finn again, a light smile crossing her lips. It wasn't the sincerest smile Finn had seen, but there was something in it that said he wasn't in as much trouble as he originally thought.

"I know."

"_Jesse?" Rachel asked, stepping further into the auditorium of McKinley High. _

_Rachel had called Jesse to see if he would meet her there to help her practice for her upcoming solo. Jesse had been firm on trying to ban Rachel from stealing all the solos, as well as Finn, but Rachel managed to convince him to let that rule bend a bit for at least one solo. It was strange how Jesse could almost never say no to her._

_Jesse stepped out of the shadows from the back of the auditorium, his head lowered a bit, trying to avoid direct eye contact with her. _

"_Are you ready?" he asked, moving to sit down at the piano. He placed the sheet music down and lightly ran his fingers over the keys of the piano to prepare himself to play._

"_Can we talk first?" Rachel asked, slowly inching her way to where Jesse was currently sitting._

"_We're here to practice, Rachel. No more."_

_Rachel nodded. She placed her hands on the piano and watched Jesse for a few seconds before looking down at the ground._

"_Um, so… I was wondering if I could swap my solo for a duet?"_

_She could see Jesse raise his head slightly, a bit of confusion on his face, "I told you that we were going to reduce duets with Finn. Why would I allow that when I shouldn't even be allowing you to sing a solo?"_

"_Not with Finn!" she suddenly snapped, realizing that he hadn't grasped the idea of what she was trying to throw out. "With you," she concluded._

_Looking up at her, Jesse let out a heavy breath and stared at her for a few seconds. He stood up and turned his body to face her completely, nodding lightly._

"_Do you have a song?"_

"_I have the perfect song," she said lightly._

_Placing a CD in the player that sat on top of the piano, Rachel pressed play and waited for her verse to start. It only took Jesse seconds to know which song she was playing and in those few seconds he realized how right she was. This was the perfect song for them._

"_Easy come, easy go_

_That's just how you live, oh_

_Take, take, take it all,_

_But you never give_

_Should of known you was trouble from the first kiss,_

_Had your eyes wide open_

_Why were they open?"_

_Rachel started to walk toward Jesse, only to change her mind and turn off earlier than expected. Jesse stood in the same spot, watching her as she belted out the lyrics. It was strange how well those lyrics had fit when they did first kiss, but Jesse fully knew that shouldn't have meant anything anymore. He was the heartbroken one, he had said his apology and tried to make things right with Rachel. Granted, he knew he would never get over what he did to her, but she shouldn't have been singing these lyrics to him anymore. _

"_Gave you all I had_

_And you tossed it in the trash_

_You tossed it in the trash, you did_

_To give me all your love is all I ever asked,_

_Cause what you don't understand is_

_I'd catch a grenade for ya_

_Throw my hand on a blade for ya_

_I'd jump in front of a train for ya _

_You know I'd do anything for ya _

_Oh, oh_

_I would go through all this pain,_

_Take a bullet straight through my brain,_

_Yes, I would die for ya baby;_

_But you won't do the same" _

_Rachel's eyes were sharply staring at Jesse as she sang the song. She moved around the auditorium very dramatically like always and if Jesse wasn't so engrossed in the moment, he would've smiled at her diva personality showing through._

"_No, no, no, no_

_Black, black, black and blue beat me till I'm numb_

_Tell the devil I said "hey" when you get back to where you're from_

_Mad woman, bad woman,_

_That's just what you are, yeah,_

_You'll smile in my face then rip the breaks out my car"_

_Suddenly the wheels had turned and Jesse was circling around Rachel. His eyes beating on her as the music flowed through him, almost as if he had practiced singing this song to her before. He didn't even need a second glance at the sheet music to know what note to hit or what words to say. It was normal for him by now and the flawless way he was singing it made Rachel slightly uncomfortable._

"_Gave you all I had_

_And you tossed it in the trash_

_You tossed it in the trash, yes you did_

_To give me all your love is all I ever asked_

_Cause what you don't understand is_

_I'd catch a grenade for ya _

_Throw my hand on a blade for ya _

_I'd jump in front of a train for ya _

_You know I'd do anything for ya _

_Oh, oh_

_I would go through all this pain,_

_Take a bullet straight through my brain,_

_Yes, I would die for ya baby;_

_But you won't do the same"_

_The two met in the middle of the stage, their eyes staring into each other's as they both belted out the next part._

"_If my body was on fire, ooh_

_You' d watch me burn down in flames_

_You said you loved me you're a liar_

_Cause you never, ever, ever did baby..."_

_Jesse turned away from Rachel, his face read anger and emotion as he walked toward the right side of the stage._

"_But darling I'll still catch a grenade for ya"_

_As Jesse sang that line, Rachel moved toward the left of the stage, belting out the next as they sang every other line of the chorus._

"_Throw my hand on a blade for ya"_

"_I'd jump in front of a train for ya"_

"_You know I'd do anything for ya"_

"_Oh, oh"_

_They stopped their walking and turned to face each other again. Staying on their sides of the stage, they prepared to finish the song. The emotion was pouring off their facial expressions and if anyone had walked in at this moment, they would've been in awe at how angry they looked toward each other from just one song._

"_I would go through all this pain,_

_Take a bullet straight through my brain,_

_Yes, I would die for ya baby;_

_But you won't do the same._

_No, you won't do the same,_

_You wouldn't do the same,_

_Ooh, you'll never do the same,_

_No, no, no, no"_

_As the song ended Rachel took in a deep breath, watching Jesse from across the auditorium. Jesse gave her one last, longing look. A look that read how hurt he was by all of this. That look made Rachel realize how much he did care for her, even if she had trouble believing it in the beginning. His eyes were sad and heartbroken, even if his body was tensed with anger and regret. _

_Jesse broke the longing gaze between the two and turned to walk off stage. He had no business to stick around. He was done waiting for her, done wishing she had chosen him. She hadn't and he had to accept that. If she wasn't able to believe him when he apologized to her, when he told her that she meant more to him than his career, the one thing that he put in front of everything else, then she wasn't worth the heartache. _

_Within seconds, Jesse was gone again. He had such a dramatic way of walking out of the auditorium and it certainly did show in the end. Rachel turned to face away from the door he had just left out of and walked back to the piano. Sitting down on the piano bench, she noticed the sheet music that he had brought in. "Amazing" by Westlife._


	4. Fireworks Finale

**Author's notes; Sorry for taking so long to update this. Had writer's block. Which is also why this chapter may seem a little rushed.**

* * *

><p>"Hey, Quinn. Can I talk to you?" Finn's voice echoed through the hallways of the school as students rushed by. Quinn caught sound of her name and turned around to face the tall boy.<p>

"What is it?" she asked, her voice was only slightly harsh and also mixed with a bit of sadness.

"Look, I want to talk to you abou-"

"No. Stop," Quinn said, placing her finger up to try and silence him. "That never happened." Turning around quickly, she walked away from the boy and tried to successfully make it to her next class. However, a hand on her arm stopped her, turning her around to face him.

"You can't just ignore it."

"Yes, I can. Don't you see, Finn? I cheated on Jesse, you cheated on Rachel. This… us. It can never happen. Not again. Jesse has been nothing but perfect to me."

"Yeah and how do you think he is going to take it when he finds out that his girlfriend cheated on him with her ex-boyfriend? Or even worse, the fact that you won't tell him?"

Quinn stopped, staring at Finn for a few moments. She knew he was right, but she couldn't bring herself to acknowledge that this was happening all over again. She couldn't face the facts; because she knew that somewhere deep in those facts was a part of her that still loved Finn deeply. She didn't want to believe it, but she knew it was there.

"And what about Rachel?" Quinn asked, snapping out of her small state, giving Finn a look of anger. "Are you just going to tell her that you cheated on her with me?"

"I already did," he shrugged. It seemed like that didn't matter much to him anymore. He wasn't ashamed of what he did with Quinn now. In fact, he was somewhat pleased. He stilled loved her, especially after their talk and especially after finding out that Rachel was still in love with Jesse.

It felt like time froze then. Quinn's face twisted, making her look worried. Finn's eyebrows furrowed in confusion as he watched her. "What?" he asked.

"She's going to tell him," and within those few seconds, Quinn had pushed past Finn as she made her way to the parking lot.

* * *

><p>"I don't believe you," Jesse said, evening out the stack of papers on the piano of the choir room.<p>

"Jesse…" Rachel's voice was light as she took a spot next to him. She could see the hurt in his face. He knew that Rachel was right, he refused to believe it. "I-I'm sorry," she placed a hand on his arm before looking down.

"Show's how good that boyfriend of yours is, doesn't it?" Jesse snapped, standing up from his seat and leaving Rachel alone on the bench.

"First off, he isn't my boyfriend anymore and he never will be again!" she hissed, popping up from her seat too. She was sick of Jesse's complaining. She was ready to finally just tell him off. "And secondly, I may have picked Finn over you at Nationals, but I told you why. I wasn't sure if… _this _was real. I thought you were just playing me again."

"Why would I do that, Rachel? I came back. All the way from LA, I came back just for you. If I wanted to play somebody, I would stick to my own state."

"Just listen to me, please?" she moved closer to Jesse, who was fuming. Her eyes had gotten softer as she tried to continue explaining. He didn't even turn to look at her, only glancing from the corner of his eye.

"I may have picked Finn at Nationals, but the realization that he will always pick Quinn over me has opened my eyes to see that he isn't worth it. Normally I would love the drama of such a rocky and cliché couple, but I… I don't want to be cliché anymore. I may have picked Finn back then but now I've come to realize that… I pick you."

Jesse turned to face Rachel, giving her a quick glance over. His eyes were sad yet his face was stern. His body was slumped over slightly, but within a few seconds of staring into her eyes, he straightened his back. "You're not the one who gets to pick anymore, Rachel. You don't get to have me back."

* * *

><p>Quinn kept her head lowered as Jesse sat next to her in his Range Rover. The car was filled with silence; Jesse continued to stare out the window. They both were trying to find words to say to each other.<p>

"I'm so sorry, Jesse."

"You've said that enough times, don't you think?" his reply was quick, and he didn't even take the second to look at her. The only decent thing was that his voice wasn't harsh. Instead, it was soft and slightly understanding.

"I know I shouldn't have done that to you and I thought about it when it started to happen but…"

"But you couldn't stop. Because it was Finn."

Quinn went to complete silence. She didn't need to nod, she didn't need to speak. It wasn't a question, Jesse knew the answer already. She figured it was because he would've done the same thing if the roles were reversed and Rachel was the one with him.

"You were amazing to me. I can't believe that I did that to you."

"I can. Quinn," Jesse finally turned to look at her, he didn't look mad, instead he looked like he was about to reassure her. "We both went into this relationship knowing that the other had feelings for their ex still. Granted, your way of handling your feelings wasn't entirely the greatest but, I knew that sooner or later you would find your way back to him."

"But I didn't want to. That was the point of you."

"Exactly. We were just each other's comfort source. A way of trying to not go back to the people who broke our hearts."

Quinn stayed silent yet again, watching Jesse for a few seconds before nodding lightly. He was right. That's exactly what they were to each other.

"There's more to us though," Jesse continued. "We may have started off as broken records trying to fit the pieces together again, but over time we grew a little, don't you think? We became friends and we still could be. The relationship, however, I believe should cease. The drama isn't entirely how I hoped it would be."

"You love drama."

Jesse smirked a little before nodding, "Yes, but imagine the drama of us being single and having those two chasing after us. We could have our own television show."

"Maybe someone will get slapped," Quinn smiled a bit. She was glad that they didn't end up fighting and tearing each other's heads off, but that was probably because Jesse wasn't hurt by it that much. Now they were back to joking around, like friends.

"I'm hoping it'll be Hudson," he teased, backing away from how close he was to Quinn so he could watch her expression completely.

Quinn laughed a little, shaking her head in the process as if to give him the direct saying 'not a chance in hell'. Jesse laughed a little too, knowing that she would respond with something like that.

"So… friends?" he asked once the laughter died down.

Taking a second to think about it, she nodded and reached over to place one last kiss on his cheek, "Friends."

* * *

><p>"Alright everyone. Let's start with our assignment for this week," Mr. Schuester said as he walked into the classroom. Jesse was always placed at the piano bench, eyeing the students. All of them, except for Rachel that was. Finn was almost MIA until he walked in behind Mr. Schuester, making Jesse's small smile turn into a blank face.<p>

"Finn, you wanted to start us off?" Will asked as he moved to the side, giving Finn the entire floor.

"Yeah, uh, okay. So, I know the assignment of the week was to find an oldies song that captured what we're feeling. I think I found the perfect song."

As the music started to play, everyone could see Finn staring directly at Quinn. She seemed a little confused by his behavior and so did everyone else.

"_Maybe I didn't treat you _

_Quite as good as I should have _

_Maybe I didn't love you _

_Quite as often as I could have _

_Little things I should have said and done _

_I just never took the time _

_You were always on my mind _

_You were always on my mind"_

It suddenly hit Quinn what he was doing. It hit everyone. His eyes never left hers.

"_Maybe I didn't hold you _

_All those lonely, lonely times _

_And I guess I never told you _

_I'm so happy that you're mine _

_If I made you feel second best _

_Girl I'm so sorry I was blind _

_You were always on my mind _

_You were always on my mind"_

It was then that Quinn let herself smile a little bit. Finn's expression looked sad as he poured his heart out into the song. He moved closer to where Quinn sat. It was only Jesse who sat in the background and rolled his eyes.

"_Tell me, tell me that your sweet love hasn't died _

_Give me, give me one more chance to keep you satisfied, satisfied_

_Little things I should have said and done _

_I just never took the time _

_You were always on my mind _

_You were always on my mind _

_You were always on my mind…"_

The music came to a stop and the room fell silent. Finn lowered his head to make eye contact with Quinn.

"I know I wasn't really the greatest boyfriend to you and it sounds like it probably sucked a lot when I made that mistake of kissing Rachel at Nationals-"

Rachel's face dropped from smiling to surprised. Her? _A mistake? _She could see Jesse smirking in the background and her eyes quickly darted to him, which made him stop just as quickly.

"I was just… I was still sorta torn up about the whole cheating thing that happened. But… after we talked about it… I remembered why I told you I only wanted to be with you… you know when I said it before all that stuff happened. I love you, Quinn. And I know you still love me otherwise you wouldn't have cheated on Jesse."

Jesse's head snapped up to stare angrily into the back of the tall boy's head. That was something he shouldn't have said and Jesse quickly looked at Quinn for reassurance. Something they did when they were dating. But as he looked at the blonde, he could see that she was too entranced with Finn right now.

Finn moved down to Quinn's level and placed a hand on her knee, "Could you give me another shot? Please?"

It took a few seconds to answer; Quinn had no idea what to say. Of course she wanted to be with him again, but should she? Her eyes trailed up to where Jesse was sitting by the piano. She could notice a small smile on his face, which gave Quinn the thought that he was telling her to try again. She knew no matter what happened Jesse would always be there to lift her up in case she fell again.

That settled it. Quinn placed her hand on the side of Finn's face and pulled his lips up to hers. The Glee club started to mumble about nonsense that the two weren't listening to. Right now, it was just Finn and Quinn, kissing to seal their reunion.

"O-okay, you guys. That's enough for now," Mr. Schuester said, walking over to place a hand on Finn's shoulder. "Save it for the hallway, alright?" Will said, a little bit of laughter in his voice.

* * *

><p>"Mr. Schuester," Jesse said, walking up to the man as the rest of the club emptied out. Finn and Quinn leaving with their fingers entwined.<p>

"Yes, Jesse?"

"I wanted to speak to you about my resignation. I assume you got my message?"

"Yeah," Mr. Schue started, his voice slightly disappointed, he truly thought Jesse would help them win this year.

"Wait," a voice from the back of the room spoke up. It was Rachel, who had lingered in the room in hopes to speak to Jesse. "You're leaving?" she asked, making her way closer to the piano where the two men stood.

"Yes. I'm going back to New York."

There was a few seconds of silence before Will interrupted, "I… think I'll leave you guys alone. Jesse, please reconsider."

With that, Jesse and Rachel were left alone. Rachel was still searching for words, a strange feeling for the both of them.

"Why?" was all Rachel could muster up. She wasn't looking up at Jesse, afraid of looking directly into his eyes in case he could see right through to her depression on the matter. He was always good at reading Rachel's moods.

"Rachel, there isn't anything here for me. Will may be listening to my advice, but your club certainly isn't. The only reason I came back to Lima last year was for you and the only reason I stayed was for Quinn. She seems content with Hudson now, she doesn't need me."

"Yeah, but… what about me? I need you," she whispered, looking up at him. "You came back for me before, why won't you give me a chance now?"

"Both times I chased after you and both times I got my heart broken. I'm done." Jesse's words were clear and harsh. Rachel could tell he was tired of playing this game. She nodded lightly before watching as the man brushed by her and exited the room.

* * *

><p>Finn smiled against Quinn's lips before pulling back and watching her, his right hand caressing her hair. They were lying on her bed, both of them smiling the widest smiles, smiles they hadn't had since before Nationals. "Thank you," Finn said quietly, placing another kiss on her lips.<p>

"For what?"

"Forgiving me. Giving me another shot."

"You forgive your first love anything, right?"

Finn let one of his crooked, goofy smiles cross his lips as he watched her, nodding his head.

"Just don't ever do it again," Quinn said, raising her head a little, followed by a raise of her eyebrow.

"Don't worry," he laughed a little, leaning up to kiss her again. "I've figured it out now. I mean, I might've been a little freaked out after the whole cheating thing, but since we've talked about it…. I feel like I've fallen in love with you all over again. I actually thought about proposing once, but I thought that would be too much."

"You were going to propose?" she smirked.

Finn shrugged a little, looking up into her eyes as she kept her position with her head raised. "I guess… I just wanted to make sure that we'd be together forever."

Quinn's smirk dropped, replaced by a slightly thrown off look. It took her a few moments of silence before a bright smile came over her face. She leaned forward and placed a passionate, longing kiss on her boyfriend's lips. She pulled her lips off of his, but hardly moved her head. Just enough to look into his eyes. "I'm yours forever. There isn't anyone in the world I could love as much as I love you."

* * *

><p>"Here," Rachel's voice was quiet and light while she placed a white envelope on the table in front of Jesse. He was scribbling away in his journal, but looked up at the letter as it was placed in front of him.<p>

"What is this?" he asked, playing around with the envelope in his hand.

"Open it."

Jesse watched Rachel for a few minutes longer before looking down at the paper in his hands and opening it. He pulled out two tickets and quickly looked up at Rachel before even reading them. A confused expression was placed across his face.

"It's my promise. Two airplane tickets to New York City. If you look, you'll see that the date is set for a month after graduation. I figure that would give us enough time to move. I'm showing you that, if you give us another chance, I won't break your heart this time. We'll go to New York together."

"These had to have been expensive," Jesse said, looking back down at the tickets.

"My dads set up a New York fund right next to my college fund. I dipped into that. Granted, they didn't expect me to be buying two tickets, but I figured that if we eat take-out for the first month, I should catch up."

Jesse chuckled lightly, "You've got this all planned out, don't you?"

Rachel smiled lightly before lowering her head, "I'll give you time to think about it." She turned around and started to walk away.

Jesse watched her for a couple of seconds before standing up and walking around the table. He stood at the end of the table and leaned back against it, crossing his arms while he watched.

Turning around quickly, Rachel stopped dead in her tracks, "This is the part of the movie where the guy chases after the girl and stops her from leaving. Then we share a passionate kiss."

"I was waiting for you to say that," he laughed. "I have a question. Why is it always the guy that has to go to the girl? Why can't the girl come to him?"

Rachel walked back toward him, his arms opening right in time for Rachel to press her body against his. His arms wrapped around her and a giant smile lit his face. She closed her eyes as she hugged him tight, something that she feared she would never be able to do again.

"No more heart break," he whispered to her, looking down into her eyes as she lifted her head. She nodded before their lips met. She finally let herself smile. The fireworks she felt with him were breathtaking.


End file.
